Sweet & sour stir-fry

 

Sweet & sour stir-fry

Ingredients

  • 100 g fine rice noodles
  • 1 x 227g tin of pineapple chunks in juice
  • 2 heaped teaspoons cornflour
  • 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons low-salt soy sauce
  • 2 teaspoons sesame seeds
  • 30g cashew nuts
  • 4 spring onions
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 2 cm piece of ginger
  • 1 fresh red chilli
  • 200 g sugar snap peas
  • groundnut oil
  • 200 g sprouts , such as alfalfa sprouts, chickpea sprouts, beansprouts
  • 1 lime

Method

In a bowl, cover 100g of fine rice noodles with boiling kettle water to rehydrate them.

To make a sauce, drain the juice from 1 x 227g tin of pineapple chunks into a separate bowl, mix with 2 heaped teaspoons of cornflour, 1 tablespoon of cider vinegar, 2 teaspoons low-salt soy sauce and 4 tablespoons of water, then put aside.

Put a wok or large frying pan on a high heat and lightly toast 2 teaspoons of sesame seeds while it heats up, then tip into a little bowl.

Place the pineapple chunks in the dry pan, then roughly chop 30g of cashew nuts and add 1 minute later.

Trim 4 spring onions, slice into 2cm chunks and add to the pan. Let it all char and get attitude while you peel 2 cloves of garlic and a 2cm piece of ginger, finely slice them with 1 fresh red chilli (deseed if you like), and finely slice 200g of sugar snaps at an angle lengthways.

Add 1 tablespoon of groundnut oil to the pan, then add the garlic, ginger and chilli. Toss for 30 seconds, then toss in the sugar snaps and the more robust sprouts (200g total) for 1 minute, followed by the sauce. Bring it to the boil for a minute or two to thicken, then taste and season to perfection.

Serve the stir-fry on top of the drained noodles. Quickly return the empty pan to the heat, pour in a good splash of boiling kettle water, use a wooden spoon to really scrape up all that delicious sticky goodness from the bottom, stirring for 1 minute until slightly thickened, then drizzle over the stir-fry.

Sprinkle over any delicate sprouts, such as alfalfa, along with the toasted sesame seeds, and serve with lime wedges, for squeezing over.